


Who Watches the Watchmen?

by ChocoChipBiscuit



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Established Relationship, F/F, Jealousy, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pre-OT3, Pre-Relationship, Vaginal Fingering, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-30 02:50:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21420961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocoChipBiscuit/pseuds/ChocoChipBiscuit
Summary: Haylen's been ordered to watch their newest Initiate and her mouthy reporter.She wasn't ordered to catch feelings.
Relationships: Female Sole Survivor/Piper Wright, Female Sole Survivor/Piper Wright/Scribe Haylen
Comments: 14
Kudos: 79
Collections: Femslash Exchange 2019





	Who Watches the Watchmen?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gwenynnefydd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gwenynnefydd/gifts).

> F!Survivor/Piper Wright is the established relationship, and at the end F!Survivor/Piper Wright/Scribe Haylen are edging towards pre-relationship. The prompt for this ship was so absolutely delicious that I couldn't resist. :)
> 
> Many thanks to [BigDickens](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigDickens) for taking the time for beta, and especially for telling me ‘needs more pining!’

“Watch them.”

Maxson’s words—a parting order, a low whisper as he clasped her hand and pulled her in for a pat on the shoulder—echo through Haylen’s skull, one last command from her superior officer as she trudges through the orange light of the setting sun.

It’s still not enough to drown out Piper and Nora’s furious argument as they march back to the Cambridge Police Station.

“There were _children_ there. How can they bring _kids_ on board a _warship_—” Piper’s voice rises, shrill with a self-righteous fury that’s familiar as a toothache. She flings her hands like punctuation, casting long shadows behind her.

Nora Chang slings an arm across Piper’s shoulders, resting her chin on top of the other woman’s head. She’s tall, even without the power armor, and her voice is surprisingly soft for such a large woman. “I’m not excusing it, Piper.”

Piper fails to be mollified, her words muffled against Nora’s chestplate. “Some of them were younger than _Nat_.”

Haylen unclenches her jaw. The old arguments sit bitter on her tongue, and she doesn’t have the heart to argue with the mouthy reporter. She had hoped that introducing them to Elder Maxson aboard the Prydwen would calm their doubts, but…

The truth is, Haylen’s finding it harder to believe in the Brotherhood. The doubts had been small at first, tiny drops of water against a monument, but all of Ms. Wright and Initiate Chang’s increasingly vocal objections had been a torrent. Their faith had never been more than castles in the sand.

Haylen might even agree with them, but do they have to be so _loud_ about it?

Nora turns, catching sight of Haylen’s expression, and her mouth twitches. “My apologies, Scribe Haylen, if we offend. It was rather shocking. You understand, ‘Elder’ Maxson wouldn’t even be able to legally drink, back when I come from.”

Haylen can _hear_ the quote marks in ‘Elder,’ smug as a smirk, even though Nora’s face remains fastidiously neutral. Rather than pick a fight over something that might actually matter, Haylen goes for the easy jab. “Don’t you mean ‘where’?”

“I keep telling you the truth. Not my fault you don’t believe it.” Nora shifts her weight, arms still around Piper as she holds up one hand, palm-up. Appeasement, writ small. “I can’t lie, Haylen. I’m troubled by what I saw today, all your efforts to the contrary. I’m not going to be able to sleep anyway, so why don’t I take first watch tonight?”

“I’ll take second,” Piper quickly volunteers, still nestled in the warm circle of Nora's embrace. 

Haylen swallows a lump that might be disappointment. Or jealousy. She’s had _weeks_ to get over her crush on Initiate Chang, but seeing Piper dismiss rank and formality in favor of this easy affection still feels like a slap in the face. “Sure. I’m fine with that.”

Something of Haylen’s feelings must still show, because Piper’s face spasms—pity? Embarrassment?—and Piper squirms free, rummaging in one of her pockets for a plastic bag.

“Want some candy for the road?” The bag crinkle-rattles in her palm as she bounces it.

Haylen takes one, more to be polite than because she’s craving sugar, and her lips pucker with an unexpected jolt of citrus-sour. “Atomic lemon bombs? Where did you even find these?”

“Goodneighbor. I know a guy,” Piper says proudly. She ducks her head, grinning. “You said you liked them, right?”

Haylen gives a short bark of a laugh. “Yeah. I’m surprised you remembered.”

Piper shrugs. “I try to pay attention. And I like you, even if…” She twirls her finger slowly, a wandering spiral that ends up pointing to the distant Prydwen.

Haylen tucks the candy into her cheek, wondering if this is a type of bribery.

They set up camp on the second floor of an old, two-story house that’s slotted neatly in the middle of a row of crumbling houses just like it. The entrance had been too clogged with rubble for the average scavver to bother clearing out, but it had only been a few minutes’ work with Nora’s power armor. Piper had muttered about not liking places with only one exit, but quieted her grumbling after a liberal application of frag mines around the front door. They’re all in the same room, a long-abandoned bedroom wallpapered in comic book posters.

Dinner’s cold tinned beans—they don’t want to risk burning down the house with an actual fire, or trusting to ancient and damaged wiring or gas lines—but at least they have Nora’s electric kettle to heat up some tea. Nora’s fingers brush Haylen’s as she gives Haylen her mug, and Haylen reminds herself it’s only wishful thinking that it was intentional.

At least Piper can’t talk with her mouth full. Her constant chatter usually distracts Haylen from how pretty Piper really is, but sitting in the dim room with her hat off, hair falling loose around her shoulders, Piper looks so astonishingly _pretty_ that Haylen can see why Nora likes her.

Even if Haylen resents it.

After dinner, Piper picks through the dusty bookshelf. Her eyes light up as she pulls out a battered hardcover. “Hey, Jules Verne!”

“I’m more of an Octavia Butler fan myself. Don’t stay up too late reading, now.” Nora’s voice is a warm scrape of honey, though distracted as she drags a chair next to the window. She steps out of her power armor with a groan, settling herself in the chair and scuffing her feet against the worn carpet. "Goodnight, Haylen. Unless you need me to tuck you in?"

Oh, if Nora _would._

Haylen knows it's a joke, but she's blushing anyways as she unholsters her pistol. "I'm a big girl, I'm sure I'll manage."

Haylen does her own nightly weapons check before bedtime, disassembling and cleaning all the parts of her laser pistol. It’s routine, comforting in its monotony as she listens to Piper curse and scribble her way through a sheaf of notes on an old yellow legal pad. Haylen eventually climbs into bed, resolutely facing the wall and shutting her eyes. The linen carries a faint and powdery sweetness, like a ghost of flowers and talc.

Sleep doesn’t come easily.

Or at all.

It’s easy to blame it on the incessant scratching of Piper’s pen, the way she rustles through her notes or flips through the books. It’s easy to blame the way Piper rips open her package of gumdrops and chews noisily. It’s easy to blame the way Piper whines as she shuffles her way across the room and stands by the window, the way she keeps moving and fidgeting and peppering Nora with questions like—

“You’re not serious about the Brotherhood, are you?”

“Careful. Company, Pipes.”

“She’s dead asleep!”

A long silence.

Haylen holds herself rigid in bed, struggling to keep her breathing steady. She attempts a snore.

“See?”

“We can talk about it later.”

“But Blue—”

“Later.”

Another long silence.

“Why do all the cute ones have a stick up their butt?”

Nora chuckles, and Haylen aches to imagine the slow sunrise of her smile. “You talking about me or Haylen?”

“Yes.”

A soft laugh.

Then—

“Hey!” That’s Nora, still struggling not to laugh. “I’m on _watch_, Pipes.”

“Then don’t watch. Just feel.”

“You should be _sleeping_.”

“I always sleep better after…”

Piper’s voice is muffled and Haylen cracks her eyes open to see their shadows on the wall, silhouetted from the open window. Nora’s buzzed head and Piper’s long hair are easily distinguishable, even with Piper’s mouth buried against Nora’s neck. Haylen’s breath catches as Piper unfastens her trousers—and oh, those clever hands, ink-stained and utterly _silent _despite her running mouth as Piper cajoles and coaxes and—

Haylen tries rolling over—not to spy on them, but to _watch_ them, like she was ordered—but the bedframe lets out a horrendous creak and Piper and Nora go silent. Haylen screws her eyes shut against the tension frozen in the air, burrowing into her pillow. Still feigning sleep, hoping they’ll think it was a false alarm. Her heart thunders in her ears, almost drowning out Nora’s low voice.

“Really? Right now?”

“I can be quiet.”

Haylen bites the pillow to keep from laughing. Really—the loudest mouth she knows, and Piper’s claiming to be _quiet_?

A soft patter of breath soon proves her wrong, and Haylen risks peeking again.

Piper’s sitting in Nora’s lap, spine flush with the taller woman’s chest. Thighs spread wide, feet planted on the floor with Nora’s hand down the front of Piper’s trousers. Nora, to her credit, seems to still be looking out the window rather than at Piper, but that’s still hardly keeping _watch._

There’s little to see, just the barest suggestions of motion—the rhythmic circle of Nora’s hand, tension and tremble all the way up her forearms and into her shoulder. Piper’s feet flat on the floor, then pointed, toes driving into the carpet before flexing back so her heels drum into the boards with a thump. Nora hastily shushes Piper as Piper gives an unrepentant giggle. Haylen can imagine Piper’s mouth open, lips parted and tongue peeking at the corner. Face flushed and eyes dilated and Nora kissing her into breathless silence, over and over—

Haylen’s thighs clamp together against a surge of heat. _Fuck._ She bites her lip to hold back the urge to moan in unison, to join her voice with Piper’s. Damn irresponsible _journalist_. As if there’s no one else, as if this _exhibitionism _doesn’t reveal how little she actually values the privacy of others, as if—

“Oh, Blue…!” Piper comes with a muffled cry, Nora’s hand rising to stifle her as Piper moans upon her lap. “Oh, Blue! That was _wonderful_.”

“And reckless.”

“Tch. Haylen’s still sleeping.”

“And if she wasn’t?”

“Then she’s welcome to join us!”

Haylen keeps her eyes shut, blushing furiously. She can’t bring herself to risk another snore, terrified that all her frustration will reveal itself in a breathless squeak.

A soft rustle of cloth and metal, buttons getting redone as Piper rises to her feet. Wobble-kneed and smiling, she gives Nora kiss—a small sound, soft and sweet—before staggering to bed and tucking herself in across from Haylen.

Yes, Haylen will definitely need to watch these two.


End file.
